Montreal is on a roll and it’ll bring a four-game win streak to Madison Square Garden, where the Canadiens are 3-0 in their last three trips there. The Habs’ offense has been on fire of late, scoring 10 goals in their past four games. Stopping them appears to be a tough task right now for the Rangers, but they have the great Henrik Lundqvist in front of goal to rely on for this crunch contest.
He tied Grant Fuhr for 10th on the career wins list after leading New York to a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday night. Lundqvist bounced back strongly after giving up nine goals in his previous two games, making 32 saves on his 35th birthday.
Writer’s Prediction: Montreal edges past New York, 3-2.
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Washington Capitals (7:30 PM ET)
Can anyone stop Washington right now? The Capitals extended their winning streak at home to 14 games with a narrow 1-0 victory over New Jersey on Thursday. Jakub Vrana scored the winning goal for the Caps who have outscored opponents 65-20 and recorded six shutouts during their run at home.
They will look to stretch their unbeaten run even further when they host Philadelphia tonight. The Capitals will fancy their chances of doing just that as they have fared extremely well against the Flyers at Verizon Center. The Capitals have won four of their last five home games against the Flyers. Philadelphia is in the midst of a two-game winning streak, punctuated by a 2-1 shootout victory over Florida on Thursday.
Writer’s Prediction: Washington destroys Philadelphia, 4-0.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Los Angeles Kings (10:00 PM ET)
The Vancouver Canucks will look to end their four-game losing rut versus Los Angeles later tonight when they pay Staples Center a visit. It’s going to be easier said than done, though, for Willie Desjardins’ men as the Canucks have lost each of their last three away meetings with the Kings. LA opened its seven-game homestand with a key 3-2 win over Toronto on Thursday night. Anze Kopitar finally ended his 13-game goal drought for the Kings who are locked in a tight battle with St. Louis for the final wild card in the Western Conference.
Writer’s Prediction: The Kings ease past the Canucks, 3-1.
